Burgundy’s Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges Auction Raises $1.76 Million

After selling just 36 barrels of wine at last year’s auction, the organizers of the 65th Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges auction were delighted to offer 80.5 this year. The 2026 sale, held on March 8 at Château du Clos de Vougeot, drew strong demand for the 2025 vintage, now aging in barrel.

Overall, the sale raised €1.53 million ($1.76 million), a 91.7% increase over last year’s total. Every lot found a buyer. The reason for the bigger take? A lot more wine. The 36 barrels produced for last year’s auction represented the smallest harvest in 60 years.

Held well after harvest, the Nuits-St.-Georges auction typically provides buyers with greater clarity about the vintage compared with the Hospices de Beaune auction, held in November, just on the heels of harvest. By March, fermentations are largely complete, allowing négociants and collectors to better assess quality and supply levels.

Although the sale has historically been dominated by the trade, organizers noted a growing presence of private buyers this year. Roughly a quarter of participants were individual collectors. The auction also drew buyers from a wider international pool, including the United States, China, Hong Kong, Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy.

The 2025 vintage carries additional significance as the final one produced under longtime technical director Jean-Marc Moron, who has overseen the estate’s wines since 1990. Moron will hand over the role to Laurence Danel.

18 Red Wines, One White and a Goat

For the second consecutive year, the sale was conducted by French auction house iDealwine. In total, 80 pièces (228-liter barrels) and one feuillette (half-barrel) were offered, representing 18 red wines and one white from the 30.6-acre Domaine des Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges. The estate’s vineyards span prized parcels in the Nuits-St.-Georges appellation and neighboring villages such as Prémeaux-Prissey, Vosne-Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin.

Despite benefiting from slightly more generous growing conditions than the challenging 2024 season, the 2025 vintage remained limited in volume. The domaine produced 80.5 pièces compared with a more typical range of 100 to 150 barrels.

Early enthusiasm for the wines helped drive prices up. The average hammer price for the 18 red wines reached $21,419 per barrel. The auction’s sole white wine, the premier cru Nuits-St.-Georges Les Terres Blanches, averaged $43,770 per barrel, close to a record price for the cuvée.

The Cuvée des Bienfaiteurs, a blend of the estate’s nine premiers crus, was a special lot this year, helping support animal-assisted therapy. (Courtesy Hospices de Nuits-St.-Georges)

Two barrels of the premier cru Nuits-St.-Georges Les Saint-Georges led the sale: Cuvée Hugues Perdrizet and Cuvée Georges Faiveley each fetched $54,135.

Most of the money raised goes to support the Hospices Civils de Beaune, which includes the Beaune medical center, three community hospitals and a training institute for nurses. There is also a special charity cuvée, the Cuvée des Bienfaiteurs, a blend of the estate’s nine premiers crus. This year, the proceeds from the cuvée supported Ani’nomade, a Burgundy-based organization specializing in animal-assisted therapy. Rather than being auctioned, the wine was sold by subscription, raising $68,565 through the purchase of 290 bottles.

Ani’nomade also provided one of the day’s lighter moments, bringing out a baby goat named “Nuits,” born just days earlier, to encourage bidders.

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